Press toy

ABSTRACT

A toy press for molding material such as caramel candy into a predetermined shape comprising a flat plate with an aperture, a cylinder connected to the aperture, and a piston for forcing molding material from the cylinder through the aperture. An interchangeable die which is pressed against the flat plate defines a mold cavity with an outline larger than the aperture in the plate, to permit one-piece dies to be used. The die is transparent or translucent to enable observation of mold filling.

United States Patent 734,680 7/1903 Dodge Inventors Edgar Burns Los Angeles; Edwin Otto Stastny, Santa Ana; Homer S. Davis, Los Angeles, all of, Calif. Appl. No. 791,568 Filed Jan. 16, 1969 Patented July 6, 1971 Assignee Mattel, Inc.

Hawthorne, Calif.

PRESS TOY 6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

0.8. CI 107/15 R, 100/288 Int. Cl A47j 43/20 FieldofSearch l07/l5,3, 8, l4, 16, 17, 18, 47,52; 99/238 PD; 17/25, 32; 18/12, 12 P,16, 16 E, 16H; 100/288; 249/92 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Primary Examiner-Walter A. Scheel Assistant Examiner-Arthur 0. Henderson Attorney-Seymour A. Scholnick ABSTRACT: A toy press for molding material such as caramel candy into a predetermined shape comprising a flat plate with an aperture, a cylinder connected to the aperture, and a piston for forcing molding material from the cylinder through the aperture. An interchangeable die which is pressed against the flat plate defines a mold cavity with an outline larger than the aperture in the plate, to permit one-piece dies to be used. The die is transparent or translucent to enable observation of mold filling.

r I l rnass TOY BACKGROUND OF TH E INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to toy presses.

2. Description of the Prior Art An entertaining toy is provided by a candy press that enables a child to mold a piece of candy into an interesting shape. The enjoyment can be enhanced by a press that can readily accept different molds of a simple and economical design, and which enables close control over the molding process to produce well-formed candy pieces. It is also desirable to provide a press that can be easily disassembled and cleaned.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a toy press which is economical to build and easy to operate and disassemble.

Another object is to provide a toy candy press which uses simple interchangeable dies.

Still another object is to provide a simple toy candy press which can mold a long piece of caramel-type candy into a substantially flat design.

Yet another object is to provide toy molding apparatus for forming a whistle that produces sounds.

In accordance with the present invention, a toy press is provided which can mold materials such as caramel candy into predetermined shaped. The press includes a cylinder for holding a piece of candy and a piston for pushing the candy out of the cylinder into a mold. The mold is formed by a flat plate with a central hole that connects with the cylinder, and a die that is pressed against the plate to form a mold cavity. The die defines a cavity with an outline that is spaced outwardly from the central hole in the cylinder, so that different forms can be provided by merely changing the one-piece die. The die also may 'be constructed of translucent or transparent material to enable the child to watch it fill up.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a sectional view of a candy press constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial exploded view, partly in section, of the press of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top view ofa die useful in the press of FIG. ll;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a die useful in the press of FIG. 1 to form a whistle; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a whistle constructed in part by the die of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates a toy candy press for molding caramel candies of long cylindrical shapes such as the type marketed under the name Tootsie Roll, into a substantially flat cookie shape with the outline of a mouse. The press includes a housing 10 with a tray 12 for holding several cylindrical candies 14 prior to loading them into the press. A cylindrical candy may be loaded into the cylinder portion I6 of a mold member 18. A piston can then be forced upward through the cylinder to press the candy into a mold cavity 22 formed between a plate portion 24 of the mold member and a die 26 that is held against the plate portion. The die can then be removed to ena ble removal of the candy, which is now in the form ofa mouse cookie as shown at 14A.

The housing 10 has an upper portion forming a platform 28 for supporting the mold member 18. The die 26 has a ridge portion 30 that surrounds the mold cavity, and which rests on the flat upper surface 32 of the plate portion of the mold member. A holding cap 34 holds the die tight against the mold member. The holding cap has a threaded portion 36 that is engaged with a threaded rim 38 on the upper portion of the housing. When the cap is screwed down tight, the die 26 and plate portion are held together tightly to form a sealed mold cavity.

The piston 20 is moved up and down by an operating handle 40 that has a shaft 42 pivotally mounted on the housing. A gear sector 44 is mounted by rivets 46 and 48 on the handle. The gear sector has teeth that engage a rack 50 of the piston which is fixed thereto by a rivet 52. Rotation of the handle from position 40 down to nearly position 40A where it abuts a handle stop 41 forces the piston up through the cylinder. A rib 54 molded into the housing backs up the piston and surrounds it on three sides, to prevent the piston from moving away from the gear sector and to guide the piston in smooth up and down motion. Another pair of thickened housing portions 56 is provided to support the handle shaft 42 on the housing.

The assembly of the press can be performed easily and without tools. The handle 40 may be permanently mounted in place, since it does not contact the candy. Alternatively, the handle shaft 42 may be constucted, as shown, so it can be pressed through a hole 43 in the housing and a hole in the bandle, after the handle is inserted through the handle opening 58 in the housing. The mold member 18 is then placed on the housing, with the cylinder portion 16 inserted through a hole 60 in the housing platform 28, as shown in FIG. 2.

The housing has four retaining members 62, 64, 66, 68 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, which engage the molding member 18 to prevent upward movement with the die during disassembly. To place the molding member 18 properly on the housing, four slots 70, 72, 74, and 76 at the perimeter of the plate portion 24 of the molding member are aligned with the retaining members of the housing. When the plate portion of the molding member passes beneath the retaining members, it may be turned in the direction of counterclockwise arrow 78 of FIG. 3, until protuberances 80 on the plate portion abut the retaining members. With the molding member 18 in place, and the handle 40 in the downward position 40A, the piston with its rack may be dropped through a hole 82 at the bottom of the cylinder 16. The lower portion of the piston is of smaller cross section than the hollow or inside of the cylinder to enable it to drop therethrough.

With the piston in place, the die 26 may be placed within the upper portion of the housing, on top of the plate portion 24 of the molding member. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the die has four recesses 84, 86, 88 and 90 spaced around the bottom of its rim. The die is placed on the housing so that the recesses are over the retaining members 62 through 68 of the housing. The cavity-encircling ridge 30 bears against the plate portion 24 of the molding member, to support the die thereon. Finally, the holding cap 34 is placed over the housing and screwed down tight, so that a flange 94 on the cap presses down hard on the die 26 to hold it against the molding member.

In order to load the candy press with a piece of candy 14, the candy is dropped into the cylinder 16 of the molding member during assembly of the press, just prior to placing the die in the housing. The handle must also be lifted to position 40 to move down the piston in the cylinder. After reassembly, the handle may be moved down to force the candy into the mold cavity.

The piston 20 has a face 96 with a sealing ridge 98 at its perimeter. The ridge has a tapered configuration to facilitate its outward expansion against the walls of the cylinder I6 to form a tight seal therewith. As the piston is pressed up and the candy fills the cylinder, the ridge 98 is pressed against the cylinder walls and the candy is forced into the mold cavity 22. While a cylinder 16 of circular cross section is shown, it can be of square or other shape.

The candy press may be designed for use with a candy of a particular size and therefore of predetermined volume. However, tolerances in candy production may yield candy pieces which vary by a tolerance such as :l Opercent. In order to assure filling of the mold cavity so as to produce a molded candy with all of the details defined by the die, the size of the mold cavity is chosen so that it is normally filled before the handle has been moved all the way down to position 40A where it abuts the stop 41, even with a slightly undersized candy load. Thus, with a normal or oversized load of candy, a stub will remain which extends into the cylinder 60. This stub does not detract from the appearance of the molded piece, since the stub lies within the outline of the molded candy, and is not apparent when the molded candy is seen from the top.

If the handle 40 continues to be moved down after the mold is filled, flashing generally will be produced around the molded piece, which can detract from its appearance. In order to enable the child to determine when the mold is filled, so he can stop pressing on the lever 40, the die is constructed of a material that can be at least partially seen through. That is, the die 26 is constructed of a transparent or translucent material. A translucent material is sufficient since the candy is pressed against it and therefore can be seen easily. The center of the holding cap 34 is devoid of an opaque obstruction, so that the mold cavity can be seen while it fills up. The use ofa die which can be seen through has an added advantage in that it enables the child to observe the actual molding precess, showing the correlation between handle movement and mold filling, which adds greatly to the entertainment value of the toy press.

After a candy is molded, the cap 34 and die 26 are removed, the die having webs 100 for added strength which can be grasped for removal. Generally, the molded candy pieces will stick to the die 26 rather than the molding member 18, so the candy comes along with the die. The molding member is held down by the retaining members, as described above. The stub usually remaining on the candy serves as a place for digging in the fingernails or otherwise grasping the candy to pull it out. The candy press can be reloaded and either the same or different dies can be used. At the end of play, the apparatus can be completely disassembled by the reverse of the assembly steps described above, for cleaning.

As mentioned above, the candy press is designed for use with different dies to form candies of different shapes'The different candy shapes are different in the appearance of their front or upper face and particularly in their outline, but have the same flat surface with a stub at the rear surface. The construction of the candy press allows the same molding member 18 to be used, so that only the single-element die 26 must be changed. This is because the walls or edge of the round hole 25 in the plate portion 24 of the molding member, where it communicates with the cylinder 16, is spaced inwardly from the outline of the mold as defined by the cavity-encircling ridge 30. That is, the outline of the mold cavity, which is defined by the inner edge of the die ridge 30, is spaced outwardly from the walls of the cylinder 16. Thus, several onepiece dies can be provided at low cost.

FIG. 7 illustrates a die 110 which, in conjunction with another complementary die (not shown), can form a whistle that produces a sound. The whistle, shown in FIG. 8, includes a half section 112 formed by the die of FIG. 7, and another section 114 formed by the complementary die. In order for the whistle to sound, the exit airhole 116 of the whistle must be accurately formed. If a soft molding material such as caramel candy is used, precautions must be taken to prevent deformation of the airhole portion, particularly during removal from the mold. To prevent deformation, a die portion 118 which forms the exit airhole, is positioned on the side of the mold opposite the open side where candy is injected into the mold. The mold forms a cavity 120 with an open side through which candy is injected and through which the formed whistle half is removed, and with an opposite closed side that has a depressed rim portion 122 extending around the cavity except at a raised mouthpiece area 124 and at the raised exit airhole area 118. The mouthpiece of the candy whistle is placed in the child's mouth, and it may be blown a few times and then eaten.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.

What we claim 1. A toy press comprising:

a housing;

molding means removably mounted in said housing, said molding means defining a first member having a substantially flat surface with an aperture therein;

a cylinder on said first member communicating with said aperture in said molding means, for holding molding material;

a piston movably mounted in said housing for movement in said cylinder;

means for moving said piston through said cylinder;

said molding means including a second member comprising a die having a mold cavity open at only one face thereof, and larger at said one face than said aperture in said flat surface of said molding means, including a portion about said cavity bearing against said flat surface at positions spaced outwardly from the edges of said hole; and

holding means for releasably holding said die against said fiat surface of said first member, whereby to form molded pieces with outlines defined by said die, said die being constructed of material which can be seen through at least partially, to enable observation of the progress of mold filling.

2. A toy press comprising:

a housing having a platform with a receiving aperture therein, and having a threaded upper portion;

a molding member having a plate portion for resting on said platform and a cylinder portion for depending through said receiving aperture;

a piston member with a lower portion of smaller cross section than the hollow of said cylinder to enable it to drop therethrough;

means mounted on said housing for raising said piston member; a

a die having a cavity and walls about said cavity for resting on said plate portion of said molding member; and

a cap having a thread for screwing onto said threaded upper portion and a portion for bearing against said die to hold said die tight against said plate portion of said molding member.

3. The toy press described in claim 2 wherein:

said walls of said die about said cavity form a ridge, for supporting said die on said plate portion only at the area immediately about said die cavity, whereby to promote sealing of said cavity.

4. The toy press described in claim 2 wherein:

said die is constructed of a material with a transparency at least that of translucent material; and

said cap has a central portion devoid of opaque material for viewing said die.

5. The toy press described in claim 2 including:

retaining means for holding said molding member to said housing while allowing said die to be lifted from said housing, whereby to facilitate removal of a molded piece which tends to stick to said molding member.

6. A toy press comprising:

a housing;

molding means removably mounted in said housing, said molding means defining a first member having a substantially flat surface with an aperture therein;

a cylinder on said first member communicating with said aperture in said molding means, for holding molding material;

a piston movably mounted in said housing for movement in said cylinder;

means for moving said piston through said cylinder;

flat surface of said first member, whereby to form molded pieces with outlines defined by said die, said holding means comprising a cap with threads thereon for threadably engaging said housing to press said die means hard against said molding means. 

1. A toy press comprising: a housing; molding means removably mounted in said housing, said molding means defining a first member having a substantially flat surface with an aperture therein; a cylinder on said first member communicating with said aperture in said molding means, for holding molding material; a piston movably mounted in said housing for movement in said cylinder; means for moving said piston through said cylinder; said molding means including a second member comprising a die having a mold cavity open at only one face thereof, and larger at said one face than said aperture in said flat surface of said molding means, including a portion about said cavity bearing against said flat surface at positions spaced outwardly from the edges of said hole; and holding means for releasably holding said die against said flat surface of said first member, whereby to form molded pieces with outlines defined by said die, said die being constructed of material which can be seen through at least partially, to enable observation of the progress of mold filling.
 2. A toy press comprising: a housing having a platform with a receiving aperture therein, and having a threaded upper portion; a molding member having a plate portion for resting on said platform and a cylinder portion for depending through said receiving aperture; a piston member with a lower portion of smaller cross section than the hollow of said cylinder to enable it to drop therethrough; means mounted on said housing for raising said piston member; a die having a cavity and walls about said cavity for resting on said plate portion of said molding member; and a cap having a thread for screwing onto said threaded upper portion and a portion for bearing against said die to hold said die tight against said plate portion of said molding member.
 3. The Toy press described in claim 2 wherein: said walls of said die about said cavity form a ridge, for supporting said die on said plate portion only at the area immediately about said die cavity, whereby to promote sealing of said cavity.
 4. The toy press described in claim 2 wherein: said die is constructed of a material with a transparency at least that of translucent material; and said cap has a central portion devoid of opaque material for viewing said die.
 5. The toy press described in claim 2 including: retaining means for holding said molding member to said housing while allowing said die to be lifted from said housing, whereby to facilitate removal of a molded piece which tends to stick to said molding member.
 6. A toy press comprising: a housing; molding means removably mounted in said housing, said molding means defining a first member having a substantially flat surface with an aperture therein; a cylinder on said first member communicating with said aperture in said molding means, for holding molding material; a piston movably mounted in said housing for movement in said cylinder; means for moving said piston through said cylinder; said molding means including a second member comprising a die having a mold cavity open at only one face thereof, and larger at said one face than said aperture in said flat surface bearing against said flat surface at positions spaced outwardly from the edges of said hole; holding means for releasably holding said die against said flat surface of said first member, whereby to form molded pieces with outlines defined by said die, said holding means comprising a cap with threads thereon for threadably engaging said housing to press said die means hard against said molding means. 